Re: The warm comfort of Ambre Sultan without the bitter herbs

I should add, by the way, that the Tom Ford amber really is lovely; just as others in this thread suggested, it's the warm amber note I was liking in Ambre Sultan but without the bitter, challenging blast of herbs. Interesting that they both have a "dusty" note to me as they dry down; I assume this is an aspect of benzoin or labdanum?

Sounds like Amber Absolute is indeed on its way out; the Neiman's I went to didn't have any 50ml left in stock. Which saved me from impulsively losing $200. So there's that.

Re: The warm comfort of Ambre Sultan without the bitter herbs

Well, it's an element of the amber accord, sure. But none of these perfumes use actual AMBER (as in the hard resin), but instead create an amber accord with things like benzoin, labdanum, and vanilla. So I figure it's one of the first two that's reading as dusty to me.

Re: The warm comfort of Ambre Sultan without the bitter herbs

I keep reading bits about Amber Absolute being discontinued but cannot get any solid information. The trouble is that I LOVE Amber Absolute but have maybe 25ml left so I cannot justify spending the $200 at this point, but if it is being discontinued...

Re: The warm comfort of Ambre Sultan without the bitter herbs

Well, the slightly amusing conclusion is this: I returned the bottle of Ambre Sultan on Monday. Then later that evening the smell was coming back into my mind. I kind of missed it. I dabbed the very last drops of my sample out. Ah yes, I do like this -- I just can't stick my nose right in it all the time or the herbal bitterness and dustiness is too much. Still, something about the overall vibe from a distance was beguiling (again). I was kind of craving it. So, yep, back I went today to get a bottle. This time I'll keep it.

(Also grabbed a travel bottle of Ambre 114 along with the Penhaligon's men's sampler pack at Gumps. Satisfying!)

Re: The warm comfort of Ambre Sultan without the bitter herbs

Originally Posted by onethinline

Well, the slightly amusing conclusion is this: I returned the bottle of Ambre Sultan on Monday. Then later that evening the smell was coming back into my mind. I kind of missed it. I dabbed the very last drops of my sample out. Ah yes, I do like this -- I just can't stick my nose right in it all the time or the herbal bitterness and dustiness is too much. Still, something about the overall vibe from a distance was beguiling (again). I was kind of craving it. So, yep, back I went today to get a bottle. This time I'll keep it.

(Also grabbed a travel bottle of Ambre 114 along with the Penhaligon's men's sampler pack at Gumps. Satisfying!)

Which do you prefer, Ambre Sultan or 114? I have a 14ml bottle of Ambre 114 and love it.

Re: The warm comfort of Ambre Sultan without the bitter herbs

I haven't tried a full day's wear of Ambre 114 yet, but judging from sampling it it seemed much less thick and bracing; it was more transparent, soft, and a bit powdery. The herbal feel of the Sultan was only there in the opening of 114 for me.

For now, I'm glad to have both. They're pretty distinct from one another.